Bean-snipper.



F. WEGNER.

BEAN SNIPPER.. APPucA'TIoN FILED rzs.9.19|s.

Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

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F. WEGNER.

BEAN SNIPPER.

APPLICATION man mm1. me. 1,257,164. Patented Feb. 19,1918.

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ik Arron/m6' TINTTEB STATES PATENT @FFTQE FRED WEGNER, 0F FAIRPORT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGEYW. COBB, 0F MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

BEAN-SNIPPER.

Application filed February 9, 1916.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRED WEGNER, of Fairport, county of Monroe, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bean-Snippers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specication, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention has for its object to provide a machine for severing and removing the ends of various articles, and particularly string beans, an operation generally known as snipping In designing a machine of this kind I have provided means for conveying beans, or other articles continuously along a suitable support, both laterally, in opposite directions and longitudinally of the support at the same time in orderv to place each article relatively to oppositely positioned cutters in such a way that the cutters will serve to remove the end portions of said articles. To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of a machine illustrating one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line BX-SX of Fig. 1.

Fig. t is an enlarged detail horizontal sectional view taken on line 12X-4X of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view further illustrating the parts shown in Fig. e.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a platform or table, over which travels a continuously moving conveyer having pockets which receive the beans or other objects to be treated, the pockets being open at the bottom so that the objects themselves rest upon the table while they are carried along by the feeding devices. These pockets are also open at their ends so that the articles Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 19, 1918.

Serial No. 77,144.

resting therein may, during certain portions of their travel, be projected into alinement with th cutting devices or knives which are preferably arranged stationary with respect to the feeding device or conveyer. Lengthwise movement of the beans, or other objects to be treated, in a direction transverse to their path of movement longitudinally of the table is effected preferably by a single revolving carrier moving the beans in opposite directions as they are carried length wise of the table by the conveyer, at which time their ends are adapted to be removed.

One embodiment of my invention comprises a frame work consisting of a long and somewhat narrow table l supported upon uprights or standards 2, and having at itsl opposite sides the upwardly extending guards or rails 3 and 4. The latter are separated a distance slightly greater than the total length of the beans to be snipped, or other articles to be treated, the space between them forming a passageway through which travels an endless conveyer. The latter is preferably formed by chains 5 supported at opposite ends of the frame on pairs of sprockets 6 and 7 mounted on the shafts 8 and 9, one of which is provided with a pulley 10 adapted to be driven by any suitable source of power. Connected to the chains at equidistant points throughout their lengths are blocks or pusher heads 11, the lower edges of which are adapted to travel along the upper face of the table 1, in this position passing freely between the guards 3 and a. The chains are received in longitudinal slots in the guards, and in order to hold the pusher heads or blocks 11 in vertical position during their movement across the face of the table they are each provided near their upper ends with guide members 'l2 which pass into and move longitudinally along guideways 13 in the rails or guards 3 and 4. The entering and departure of there guide members into and out of their guideways is assured and facilitated by providing the ends of the table with rounded portions, as indicated at 14 and 15, which are concentric with the bearings of the shafts 8 and 9.

The feeding devices just described move continuously over the face of the table in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figs. 'l and 2. The articles to be treated are supplied to the pockets either by hand, or by any'suitalole feeding mechanism adapted to segregate vthem andsupply one article to Y.each pocket, and in this separated condition fare, transported over the face of the table. DuringV their travel each article, is movel alternately in opposite directions7 to .cause one of its ends to engage orabut the rail or guard 3 and the other the guard 4.

lIncarrying out this feature of my inv vention, I insert in arecess formed in the Vtop ofthe table a carrier in the form of a disk 16 considera-bly larger in diameter thanwthe widthi ofthe table so that its edges projectfbeneathY and beyond the `rails Sfan'd l." The disk or carrier is journaled upon a hub or bearing 17 formed preferably integral with the table 1 as shown in Fig. 3. The carrier isprovided on its periphery with gear teeth adapted to mesh with the teethof ajgear wheel 18 rigidly connectedk with a shaft 19 jonrnaled ,in a hearing bracketQO secured upon one of the standards@ as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The

gear wheel 1.8.is driven byv a pulley 2.1 earried by the shaft 19. In order to provide a smooth surface upon the face of the carrier i AI place' thereon a finished face plate '22 upon which the beans or other articles `travel as'they are carried along by the conveyer. The face plate29J is positioned flush Y Ywith Ythe topf of the table -1 as *shownl in Fig. Arranged upon the rails 3 and 1l atl pointsV above the faceplate 22 Vare cut-V tersf23 and'24, one of vwhich isY shown in detail in Figs.- 4 andV 5. The rcutters are mounted in recesses provided 'in'V the lower edges ofthe rails. The forward edges of "the cutters extend in the same direction at equal distances from the center of the carrier'and the recesses are cut awa-y to provide a space into which the end of the bean,

or other article, may be projectedfas shown in Figs, the Awidth ofthe recess, or the distance its'side wall Qis offset from the inner face of the rail determining the length oft-hat portion of the bean'which i will be snipped .orcutofii K An opening 26 is also provided at the lend of this surface place.

through which the severed portion of the object may be `eXpelled.. Y i K Each of the cutters has aV-shaped knife edge'which coperates withV the adjacent end of the pushers orblocks llfas these pass the vknives successively. vThe latter `are also formed with forwardly extending fingers 27, resting against the face plate 22 andserving'to slightly elevate the end of Y thepbean before the cutting action' takes .These fingers on thel knives serve to support the bean during the cutting ac- VYjtion Vand"prevent its being crowded or forced down intoY contact lwith the moving i face of lthe carrier.V The knives, aire yield- 'ingly supported and are ymoved vinwardly sofas to lire in'lcloselcontact with the ends of the pushers bynieans of a plurality ofYV springs 28, their'inward movement being limitedbyl avscrew 29. Guide pins 30 are also employed to prevent tlievtilting of the blades, and the forward edges ofthe latterk are roundedslightly, as indicated at 31 so 1 that as v'each pusher llradvances into engagement with thev knife its extremity will not be injured, the rounding edge Yacting to deflect the knife sufliciently to permit the pusher to-pass it.

In the use of .the Yapparatus for snipping string beans, the latter j are Vdeposited Yin the pockets of the conveyer'at the forward end of the table.V The heads or Ypushers 11 ered, lies within the recess, and it is held A in this position whilebeing guided into engagement with and moved Vpast the cutter 23, 1as shown inFig. 1l. The conveyer .in moving forwardly subsequently transports4 the. beans contained `in the several pockets beyond the centerV of 'the carrier, after ,which time thexbeansY are movedtoward the 'rail by the actionof the carrier and YareV projected lengthwise yintoY engage-` mentvwith theI inner face of said rail their 'opposite or unsevered extremitles passing -into the recess in thera'il in front of? the knife or cutter 24. The snipping voperation on both endsl of the beans being com-` charged fromthe machine as the pockets A Y, Vpleted in thismanner, the beans'are dis" Y become inverted in their 'Vt-ravel'about the e sprocket Ywheels",at which time they may be collected, asfwill be understood, in, any convenient form 4of receptacle, illustration of which has been omitted. Bv thismeans e single revolving carrier in coperation f with the conveyer ismade toftransport the beans,V first to one V'side of thetable and then to the other,.and in each case 1n front Viisof a knife adapted'to successively sever the ends lof the A'beans before charged from the table.V Y Y An lapparatus constructed in accordance they are diswith' my inventionis'simple inform and operation and comprises b'utgfewl parts which may be `quickly and Yreadily assem- Y bled.V Machinesr 'embodying my invention are' particularly adapted for shippingV beans *Y andthe means employed for/hanfV dlingr'the beans'isdsuchl that they are not-injured or bruised and caused t'o become *tari their'sellying qualities. j

nished, a condition whichV greatlyaffects I A j iso* I claim as my invention:

1. The combination With a movable conveyor having open ended pockets, guards at opposite sides of the conveyer closing the ends of the pockets, each guard being provided With a recess, of cutters located in said recesses, and a revolving carrier for moving articles placed in said pockets alternately in opposite directions to project their extremities into said recesses and in positions to be carried into engagement with the cutters.

2. The combination With a horizontally movable conveyer having open ended pockets extending transversely thereof, and guards at opposite sides of the conveyer closing the ends of said pockets each having an opening, the opening in one of the guards being located in rear of the opening in the other guard relatively to the direction of movement of said conveyer, of cutters arranged in said openings and cooperating with the ends of the Walls of the pockets, and a revolving carrier adapted to coperate with articles placed in the pockets for moving them longitudinally therein to first engage one cutter and subsequently engage the other cutter during the continuous movement of the conveyer,

3. The combination with a table, an endless conveyer passing around the table composed of spaced pusher heads and connecting chain links, sprocket Wheels at the ends of the table around which the chains pass and rounded portions on the ends of the table cooperating With the heads as the latter pass onto and offof the table top, of guards at opposite sides of the conveyer having guideivays, means carried by the heads coperating with the guidenfays to hold the heads in an upright position during their passage between the guards, cutters at opposite sides of the conveyer, and a revolving carrier for imparting endWise movement to articles lying in front of the heads to position said articles so that the heads will carry the articles into engagement With the cutters.

et. The combination with a conveyer, a revolving carrier adapted to move articles carried by the conveyer transversely thereof in opposite directions, and means at each side of the conveyer for severing the ends of the articles.

5. The combination With a table provided `with a recess, a rotatable carrier mounted in the recess, cutters located at each side of the table. above the carrier, of a conveyer movable across the top of the table and the carrier and adapted to cooperate With the carrier in transport-ing articles into engagement with said cutters.

6. The combination with a recessed table top, a carrier arra-nged therein and means for rotating the same, of oppositely positioned cutters located above the carrier one relatively in advance of the other, and a conveyer hm'iiig pockets open at the bottoms and ends and adapted to carry articles across the table between the cutters, the carrier acting to carry the articles transversely of the table in opposite directions into engagement with the cutters.

7. The combination with a recessed table top, a carrier arranged therein, means for driving the carrier, of cutters located above the carrier and means for conveying articles across the carrier in engagement therewith whereby the articles .are moved in opposite directions by the carrier so that their ends are severed by the cutters.

8. The combination with a table top provided with a recess and having a bearing arranged in the recess, a carrier journaled on the bearing, means for rotating the carrier upon the bearing, of a cutter arranged upon opposite sides of the bearing and means cooperating with the carrier when in rotation for transporting articles successively into engagement With the cutters.

9. The combination with a table, a conveyer movable thereon having spaced pusher' heads forming pockets between them and a guard at each side of the conveyer, of knives yieldingly supported on the inner sides of the guards at the ends of the pusher heads,

`and a carrier adapted to move articles carried by the pockets transversely thereof into engagement with the knives.

FRED WEGNER.

Wlitnesses RUSSELL B. GRIFFITH, B. F. BUTLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

